The foreign ministers of the United States, South Korea, and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and pledged to continue pursuing dialogue with North Korea during trilateral talks held on the sidelines of the NATO summit Tuesday, according to South Korea's foreign ministry.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi agreed to maintain close coordination on North Korea policy, including efforts to combat Pyongyang's illicit cyber activities.

"The ministers shared assessments of the situation on the Korean Peninsula and agreed to maintain close coordination on North Korea-related policies, including efforts to counter Pyongyang's illicit cyberactivities," South Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The ministers also "reaffirm[ed] their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" and agreed to continue efforts to preserve peace and stability "through dialogue and diplomacy."

Beyond North Korea, the three diplomats discussed developments in the Middle East and pledged continued cooperation on regional and global issues.

They also agreed to expand practical collaboration on economic security, supply chain resilience, and emerging technologies.

The ministers welcomed a new memorandum of cooperation establishing a framework for trilateral efforts to accelerate the deployment of small modular nuclear reactors in third countries, particularly across the Indo-Pacific region.

The meeting marked the first trilateral foreign ministers' talks since the three nations met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, in October 2025.

The ministers agreed to continue meeting regularly and deepen cooperation across a range of strategic priorities.